In my sermon series on “Questions:  A Study of 1 Thessalonians,” I encouraged our members to submit Biblical questions to me.  The first question I received was a good one. The question was worded, “We pick and choose sections from the Bible to live by (i.e. we don’t follow Leviticus).  What parts of the Old Testament are applicable today? Specifically, which books do we live by?”

Here’s how I look at it.  The entire 66 books of the Bible are inspired by God and are helpful and they apply in some way to us.  However, parts of the Old Testament were written to a specific people and the commands in those sections were given only to a particular people.  The truths given in those parts of the Bible help us to understand God and his purposes but the commands do not apply directly to us.

The key is to understand the context.  In general terms, we still apply the moral commands of the Old Testament (The Ten Commandments, for example) but we don’t directly apply the teachings about sacrifices (since Jesus became our ultimate sacrifice), the governmental commands (which applied directly to the nation and people of Israel), the dietary commands (which were superseded in the New Testament), or the customs and commands (like circumcision) which were clearly meant for the Jews

I want to protect myself from being subjective in my approach, so I look to the New Testament to see how Jesus and the early church viewed the Old Testament and use that for a guide.  Jesus, for example, accepted and taught Old Testament morality in the Sermon on the Mount.  In Acts, the church emphasized the gospel but did not require Gentiles to follow the Old Testament ceremonial or sacrificial law in order to join the church, but they did emphasize the moral teachings of the Old Testament.  That is the guide I follow.

So I accept all of the Old Testament as true, but I do not believe that I need to follow commands given to individuals (God sent Abraham, not me, to the Promised Land), given to the priests (I don’t wear priestly garments), to the nation (I don’t stone adulterers, for example), or to Jews (I don’t wear fringes on my clothes.)  The principles in books like Leviticus (the theme of holiness, for example) apply to me, but the specific commands do not.

So what books are most helpful and applicable to me?  Genesis helps me understand the beginnings of God’s work on Earth and the purpose of God.  Exodus gives a great picture of God’s purpose and His hand in history.  Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy develop themes and and principles, even if many of their specific commands do not apply directly today.  The books of history (Joshua through Esther) tell me God’s story and give great examples of His faithfulness.  The writings and books of wisdom (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) expound on some of the deepest themes in the Bible and answer some of the deepest needs of human beings as well as giving clear principles to live by.  And the prophets (the rest of the Old Testament) give a deep picture of the heart of God.

In short, I accept the Old Testament as completely true and I find it very helpful in understanding God, His purposes, and human nature.  I accept the moral teachings of the Old Testament, but I use the New Testament as my guide in deciding how to apply the direct commands of the Old Testament.